The Heir of Merlin
by Luna Ayla Katniss
Summary: Vita is just a normal eleven year old girl, until she is swept up into a magical world of which she knows nothing. Nothing of her ancestry or even the ages old curse cast upon her family. Myrddin Wyllt is her ancestor, and she has some big shoes to fill. Reviews are greatly appreciated.
1. The Beginning of It All

**Disclaimer: I own nothing that follows...unfortunately**

The Beginning of It All

A beam of pale morning light streamed through white curtains into a little yellow room, illuminating a twin bed with a yellow blanket concealing a girl who was rather small for her age. A little mewling kitten lay in a basket on the windowsill. when she could no longer avoid the suns morning rays, the girl sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"C'mon, Nala," she murmured to the kitten, picking her up and setting the tabby on her shoulder, like a pirate's parrot. The girl promptly walked downstairs to get some breakfast.

"Morning, Vita. You're up early." A tall man, with a twinkle in his eye, said to his daughter.

She laughed. "It's the sun, Daddy. I'd still be sleeping, otherwise."

"I know, honey, I'll get you some blinds, so you can sleep in."

"But I like getting up with you, Daddy," her eyes widened.

"We can still do that, but Mum likes getting up with you in the morning, too." he tousled her light blonde curls, causing the kitten to attack them.

The man put a piece of toast in the toaster for Vita and went outside to get the day's post. He started for a moment when he realized that an owl sat atop his mailbox, but once he blinked, it was gone. So, he took it for a slight in his vision. Owls don't come out during the daytime, he told himself. But then he thought again, strange things had been happening a lot lately.

A week ago, his sons, Damien and Jeffery, had been relentlessly teasing Vita about something or other and the next day they had woken up with hair as blue as the sky on a clear day. Thank goodness it had faded. And, quite unlike England's usual weather, there had been an unusual amount of cloudless skies lately. Mr. Hamlinson decided to ignore these matters for the moment as he walked back to the house, sorting through the post.

Mr. Hamlinson was walking into the kitchen when he saw something very strange in the post-stack: a thick aged envelope sealed with purple wax. The wax was stamped with some sort of crest that contained a large letter "H." He sat the stack of letters, bills and spam on the counter for his wife, Kaylee, and went upstairs to get ready for work.

As Mr. Hamlinson was leaving the house for work, his wife, Kaylee, was only just waking up. Something heavy was on her chest, making it difficult to breathe. She opened her eyes and there was Daisy, her fat cat, all curled up. She stroked Daisy and, with a small trill, she stretched and slowly slinked off. Kaylee looked over to her clock, "8:23," it read. She groaned and plodded downstairs to get some coffee. Once she had poured herself a cup, she walked into their family room, where she was immediately accosted by the blaring noises of Spongebob.

"Morning, Vita. Could you turn that down, please?" she said.

"Sure, Mum. G'morning," Vita began. She turned down the TV and gave her attention to her Mum. "There's a letter addressed to the parents of me on the counter. It'd be about me, right?" her excitement wasn't hidden well and Kaylee could tell that the letter wasn't just one of the beginning of term notices.

"Well I'd think so," said Kaylee, "I'll go get it and we'll see." She winked at her daughter and got up. When she found said letter, Kaylee was confused. The letter would have fit it several centuries ago, with it's wax seal and yellowed parchment. Then she thought again, this was probably an invitation to one of Vita's friends' birthday parties. Some of her friends had over-zealous parents when it came to party themes. She chuckled and brought the letter into the family room.

"What's it say, what's it say?" Vita was nearly bouncing off the walls.

"I don't know, why don't we open it?" As soon as Kaylee started to peel off the wax seal, there was a loud thump above the women's heads. "That'll be the your brothers..." she muttered. Kaylee opened the letter and read aloud:

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Hamlinson,

"We are pleased to inform you of your daughter, Vita Estelle's, acceptance into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We will dispatch someone, on the day of your reading of this letter, to explain to you exactly what this means," Kaylee began to look very confused, "They will arrive at precisely 6:30 PM, to explain what an opportunity this is for your daughter.

Sincerely,

_Terry boot  
_

Deputy Headmaster

"Vitie, when did you sign up for a cult?" Damien's eyes were wide and smiling. He had been listening from the doorway while his twin, Jeffery, stuffed his face in the kitchen. Damien burst into laughter. Vita felt a surge of anger flow through her veins and, suddenly, Damien stopped laughing. He clutched his throat in terror as the realization that he could not speak dawned upon him. He stared at Vita in horror.

"Did I do that?" She asked innocently.

.o0o.

Mr. Hamlinson was shocked, to say the least, when he got home from work. As Kaylee tried to explain what had happened this morning, his expression was priceless.

"Damien?" Mr Hamlinson looked at his fifteen year old son. Damien nodded and tried to say something, anything. He was the more vocal of the twins, and it was very strange for Mr. Hamlinson to see him just sitting quietly in the corner.

Vita looked at the clock hanging on the wall of the family room. "6:29," it read. Vita's thoughts swarmed around her head as she wondered on what was to come. Suddenly, there was a crack, like a gunshot, and a second later, the doorbell rang. Jeffery was the first one out of his seat. He opened the door.

"Well, hello there," said a tall man dressed in khakis and a red, untucked, button-down shirt. He looked to be about thirty five. "I'm Professor Longbottom, I work at Hogwarts."

Vita and her family stared at him in silence for a bit. He looked so _normal_.

"Hello," said Vita's father in a strangled voice.

Professor Longbottom shut the front door and wandered over to the couch. He sat down next to Damien. Damien made as if to speak but something caught in his throat. He glared at Vita instead.

"Alright then," said the Professor nervously, "Do you guys have any questions?"

"I think I may have taken away Damien's voice." Vita toned quietly.

"I can probably fix that, you know?" Professor Longbottom chuckled. "How did that happen?"

Vita's expression was pained, "I don't know, honestly."

"That's very normal, every witch or wizard has performed accidental magic when they were your age or a bit younger." Professor Longbottom then said what seemed to be nonsense words while waving his wand. Vita stared at it.

"Where can I get one?" she said, in awe.

"Diagon Alley, but we'll get to that later."

Damien toned in, "Hello... um, Thank you, Professor."

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm actually quite impressed that your sister was able to do that spell, we don't learn it until third year at Hogwarts," he directed his words to Vita, "If you ever want to do that again, the spell is 'Silencio.'" Professor Longbottom grinned, "So, do you want to know about Hogwarts?"

"Yes, please," said Vita while her family nodded.

"Okay, Hogwarts was founded around 1000 years ago, by Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff. Our four houses are named after them. Gryffindors are generally brave, Ravenclaws are intelligent, Slytherins are ambitious, and I highly doubt that you'll be sorted into that house as they don't generally allow for muggleborns, and lastly you have the loyal Hufflepuffs. All four are honorable houses and I know great witches that have come out of all four of them. Don't worry about the Sorting, but, as no first year really knows what it is, I'll let it stay a surprise. Um... your first year, you'll only have Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy and Herbology, which is with me. Well, you also take Flying, but you're not graded on that. Got it all?"

"Yeah, but what's a muggle?" Vita asked.

"It's just what wizards call people without magic. So you would be a muggleborn, as your parents are both muggles. I know this is a lot to take in, so I'll be here for you guys. you can write me any time. Any owl will find me if you tell it to." He looked around. "Is there a good time for us all to go get the things she'll need for school?"

"We're free this coming Sunday," Kaylee answered.

"That's fine with me as well. I'll stop by at noon and pick you all up." He made as if to leave. "Oh, almost forgot, don't tell anybody about Hogwarts." The look on the Professor's face told the Hamlinson family that, if they told anyone, bad things would happen. And they didn't want that.


	2. The Unexpected Key

**Disclaimer: P****or desgracia, soy dueño de nada de lo que sigue.**

The Unexpected Key

Vita woke up very early on Sunday. A dream had scared her out of her wits and yet, it was already fading from her mind. She opened her curtains and watched the sun rise out her window. Her kitten, Nala, climbed over to her desk and pounced on a pencil. Vita reached over to the orange, tabby kitten and swung her over to the windowsill. Nala immediately pawed at the window, trying to get at the bird's nest in a nearby tree. Vita grabbed a book and read until her brothers thundered downstairs for breakfast.

.o0o.

Vita was sitting on the sofa, reading, when there was a clap like thunder and a knock on the front door.

"Vita, could you get the door please?" her mum yelled down the stairwell.

"Sure, Mum," she called back, setting aside her battered copy of _Through the Looking Glass._ Professor Longbottom was standing in the doorway. "Well, come on in," she motioned for him to sit down. "Mum's not ready yet, but the rest of us are." Just then, her brothers thundered down the tightly spiraling staircase.

"Hello Mr. Longbottom," Damien said jovially while Jeffery nodded at the professor.

Professor looked curiously at Vita as they both left in search of food. "They're not twins, are they?"

"No, they are," Vita replied, "Just fraternal. Jeffery's more like Mum and Damien's more like Dad."

"Hmm... All the twins I've ever met have acted like they're the same person."

"They are, Jeffery's the ears and Damien's the mouth."

Professor Longbottom chuckled at that and Vita's parents walked in the room.

"You have a car, right?" Longbottom asked. The Hamlinsons looked incredulous.

"Of course."

"Well let's go then. We'll first be driving into London and I'll guide you from there." Everyone packed into the Hamlinsons' minivan and off they went.

"Now, turn right here. Ahh, here we are. Park in that spot." Longbottom pointed at a spot that was situated in front of a dingy little pub called the Leaky Cauldron. The funny thing was, it didn't have a parking meter.

"Strange," Mr. Hamlinson muttered. "I must've walked down this street a million to get to work and never once saw this pub."

"It's charmed so that Muggles won't notice it unless they're accompanied by a witch or wizard." Professor answered the unasked question.

"That would explain it," Mr. Hamlinson breathed.

As they walked into the pub, Vita's stomach began to feel queasy. She felt like she was being watched. She covertly looked around and spotted the reason why. Twelve old, gnarled women were staring at her. The feeling in her gut intensified as she realized that they were looking at her with a sad kind of sympathy. Vita felt that something was going to happen to her that all of them had experienced.

"Vita, what are you staring at?" Professor Longbottom broke her out of her trance.

"Those twelve old ladies, of course."

He looked over to the bench at which Vita had been staring. There was no one there. "What are you talking about?"

She looked back at the bench and gasped. "They were there, I swear," she reasoned.

"Mm'kay, but we'd better get going if we want to get all of your stuff today." Soon enough, Vita forgot, almost entirely, about those twelve witches with the new excitements of the day.

.o0o.

The family walked, gawking at every shop window in Diagon Alley. Vita was bombarded with sights and smells that she would have never even dreamed of before this day. On one side, cauldrons and telescopes were sold and, on the other cats and rats and toads and even _owls_. A woman in purple brocaded robes haggled with a street vendor over the price of _dragon blood_. Vita felt she didn't have enough eyes to catch sight of everything.

"First we'll need to go down to Gringotts, the wizard bank, and to exchange some muggle money for wizard money," explained the Professor. He pointed at a big, marble, rather crooked looking building situated at the corner of the alley. "It's run by goblins, so it's nae but impossible to rob."

They walked up to Gringotts and Professor Longbottom greeted the two goblin guards at the door. They had very long hands and feet, compared to their short stature. They walked throuhg the doors only to be greeted by a second set. Engraved upon it was:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_of what awaits the sin of greed, _

_for those who take, but do not earn,_

_must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors _

_a treasure that was never yours,_

_thief, you have been warned, beware_

_of finding more than treasure there._

"It's all built underground, so, even if you did manage to get something, you would never find your way out of it's maze of tunnels and chasms." said the Professor.

As they walked into the Atrium, Vita's eyes were glued to all the goblins. They softly walked down the aisle to who seemed to be the head goblin. He was ancient. He raised his head and his gaze flicked around the group. Vita blinked when his gaze fell upon her, trying to get rid of his searching look.

"We're here to exchange out muggle money for some of our own." Longbottom said nervously. The goblin was still staring at Vita and it was really starting to creep her out.

"No, you aren't. She has a vault of her own," the goblin's halting voice was as old and raspy as he looked. Strangely, he accented the wrong syllables in his words.

"What are you talking about?"

"The girl has a vault. Her family has been without magic for a while, but, nevertheless, it is her vault."

"Okay," Professor Longbottom turned to her parents. "It seems that you won't have anything that needs paying for in the course of Vita's magical education." He turned back to the goblin, "Could someone bring us down?"

"Of course, HOLKWAD!" He yelled down the hall behind his desk. "You will take them down to the Wyllt vault." Rummaging underneath his desk, he pulled out an old bronze key and held it out to the middle aged goblin standing next to him.

"There's room for three in the cart with me," said Holkwad. Vita, Proffessor Longbottom and Mr. Hamlinson followed Holkwad to the beginning of the tracks, they had left the rest of the family in a comfortable waiting room. Holkwad whistled and a cart slid up the tracks.

"You're good with roller coasters, right Mr. Hamlinson?" Professor Longbottom asked. The goblin chuckled darkly.

"Yes," said Vita's dad wearily.

The cart took off at breakneck speed and Vita realized why no one ever robbed this place. She lost track of how many times they turned, even forgetting instantly which way they went. Eventually, the cart slowed to a stop. They were so far down that Vita could feel the pressure in her ears.

Holkwad delicately stuck the bronze key into a keyhole hidden in the shadows of a stone door built into the wall. Upon opening the door, Vita's jaw fell open in shock. The inside of her vault was roughly the size of her entire house. A mountain of gold sat in the center of two smaller hills of silver and bronze at it's sides. Vita looked over to Professor Longbottom to see if this was your standard vault, but he was gawking as well.

"You're going to get what you need, I suppose?" the goblin spoke. Vita nodded at him.

"Professor, how much do you think I'll need this year?"

"Probably about 50 galleons, to be safe. Not that you'll ever run out," he still looked a bit taken aback.

"Which ones are those?"

"The gold ones," he rummaged through his pockets, "Here's a bag for them."

Vita grabbed the bag and started filling it with coins. They were about an inch and a half in diameter, but strange because they had no faces. She also took one of the silver coins and one of the bronze. Vita walked out of her vault and nodded at the goblin. As he was closing the door, she noticed something she hadn't before. A wooden staff was floating above the mountain of galleons.

They all clambered into the cart and it shot up the rails like a rocket.

"There's seventeen Sickles in Galleon, those are the silver ones, and twenty nine Knuts to a Sickle. You'll remember it eventually," Professor explained as they shot up the tracks. The cart sputtered to a stop. Vita's dad spoke for the first time.

"Vita, don't tell the rest of them how much is in that vault, they'd go crazy."

"Uh... okay," she responded, a bit confused.

"Let's just say it's a normal vault." Professor Longbottom suggested, "Containing about 400 galleons or so." Mr. Hamlinson nodded at that.

"We're doing just fine on what your mother and I earn." Kaylee was a schoolteacher in Maidenhead. Vita looked at the two of them with a confused expression, shrugged and followed the goblin back to the waiting room.


	3. Diagon Alley

**Disclaimer: Je ne possède rien qui suit ... malheureusement.**

Diagon Alley

Once everyone was out in the bright light of day again, Professor Longbottom pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Here," he gave it to Vita, "That's what you'll need for school."

Vita looked at the list.

_UNIFORM_

_First year students will require: _

_Three sets of plain work robes (Black)_

_One plain pointed hat (Black) for day wear_

_One pair of protective gloves(Dragonhide or similar)_

_One winter cloak (Black with silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupils clothes should carry name tags_

_COURSE BOOKS_

_All first year students should have a copy of the following:_

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory by Aldalbert Waffling_

_A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them by Newt Scamander_

_Defensive Magic (Volume 1) by Alexa Greggory_

_OTHER EQUIPMENT_

_1 Wand_

_1 Cauldron (Pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 Set of Glass or Crystal Phials_

_1 Telescope_

_1 Set of Brass Scales_

_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad._

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

"Where on Earth do we start?" Vita said to herself.

"Can I see it?" asked Vita's mum. Vita handed it to her. After reading the paper, she looked at her husband. "I guess this is real, then." He nodded.

"If you guys want, we can go buy her wand and afterward you can go sit at the Leaky Cauldron until we're done. Everything except the wand is quite dull." Professor Longbottom suggested.

"Yes, that would be nice," Vita's mum replied before anyone else could counter the offer.

"But, Mum...," said the twins.

"You two can tow along, but I need to sit down." She looked down the crowded street wearily, and Vita could tell that she wasn't all that excited about all this new magic.

"I'll go with you," said her father.

"Well, let's go down to Ollivander's then. They're the best wand shop anywhere." Professor Longbottom headed further down the street and the family followed him.

They soon arrived at a small shop with an old wand on a faded purple cushion in the windowsill. A decrepit old sign hung over the door, boasting, "Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC." As the family walked in, a hushed silence fell upon them. Even Damien was quiet when an old man strode out from behind a tall stack of narrow boxes.

"Nikolas!" He called to the back of the shop. "Neville Longbottom, alas, another year goes by. Who are you bringing to see me this year?"

"Miss Vita Hamlinson," Professor Longbottom replied.

The old man stooped down to eye level with Vita. His eyes were a strange silvery color that unnerved Vita the moment their eyes met. White tufts of hair formed a sort of crown around his head, adding to his strange look.

"My, you're a small one," he remarked. Vita frowned at him. "Nikolas! Get over here with that tape measure." He called to the back of the shop again. Ollivander redirected his attention to Vita, "Which arm is your wand arm?"

"Uh, I'm right handed," she replied uncertainly.

Just then a man in his mid 40's stumbled out of the rows of stacked, narrow boxes. he was completely bald, but had the same strange, silvery eyes as Ollivander. He handed a nondescript, rolled up tape measure to Ollivander and sunk back into the shadowy recesses of the stacked boxes.

"Thank you, Nikolas. You may leave now." Ollivander looked around for the man and shrugged when he was nowhere to be seen. "Hold out your arm, please." The tape measure then started measuring her of its own accord.

"All Ollivander wands have a powerfully magical core. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers and dragon heartstrings, Miss Hamlinson. Every creature is different and, therefore, no two wands are the same. The wand chooses the wizard." Vita blinked as she puzzled this out. So were wands alive, or something else? Ollivander gasped.

"I know who you are..." he stood back up very quickly with a large smile. She raised her eyebrow at him. Ollivander rushed to the very back of the shop. He silently walked back while gently holding an ancient looking leather wand case.

"I must say, Miss Wyllt, it has been a very long time since any veins in your family have flowed with magic." He slid the wand out of its casing and offered the handle to Vita. She hesitantly grabbed the wand and twirled it through her fingers. With a flick, she waved the wand that felt comfortable in her hands. Warmth spread through Vita's arm and a glowing bluish orb burst out of the wand's tip. It floated towards Vita's forehead.

The orb seemed to hesitate for a moment, contemplating the small person who held it's wand. Then it plunged into Vita's head. A sense of joy trickled through her insides all the way down to her toes. Vita grinned and Ollivander looked wistfully at the old wand.

"Ten and a half inches, unyielding. Larch with a core of dragon heartstring." He lowered his head. "A wand for one of powerful hidden talents. I never thought that I'd live to see this wand finally choose a master, or in this case mistress. It's over a thousand years old." Vita stared at him as though he'd gone round the bend. No piece of wood could last that long without deteriorating. "Do be careful with it, Miss Wyllt. It's held quite dear to us in the wandmaking profession." He didn't seem to want a response. "That'll be seven galleons. Thank you for coming to Ollivander's."

After paying for her wand, Vita and her family were bowed out be Ollivander's assistant. Professor Longbottom walked out a moment later.

Mrs. Hamlinson looked around quietly. "I do believe I've had enough of this for one day." She then looked pointedly at Professor Longbottom who led them back to the leaky cauldron and bought them each a butterbeer.

.o0o.

Professor Longbottom led Vita and the twins into a small shop called Madam Malkin's: Robes for All Occasions. A portly woman, who looked to be in her sixties, stepped into the room.

"I'll be with you in a moment, m'dears. Just finishing up with a customer." The woman bustled back into the next room. A few minutes later a tanned couple walked out with a robe full of ruffles and bows over each arm.

"Are those what everyone wears?" Her face was horrified.

Professor Longbottom laughed, "No, but those were the strangest dress robes I've ever seen." The portly witch returned and beckoned for them to follow her into the next room which was considerably larger than the first.

"Hogwarts, m'dear?" she asked.

"Yes," said Professor Longbottom. Then with a quick look at the twins and an almost imperceivable shake of his head, he nonverbally told the witch that she was the only one.

"Well come on then. Up on the stool." Vita scrambled up a tall three legged stool and slipped of a long, black robe. The witch immediately started pinning up and fitting the over-large robe. Once the first was done, out came another.

"Breana, do bring in the family in the front room and start working on them."

"Yes, Madam. Right away," answered an Irish girl with a mass of curly, red hair. She returned with a blonde boy with a pointed chin and his father. Their resemblance was uncanny. The father gave a curt nod to Professor Longbottom which was returned in kind.

"Hello, I'm Vita. Are you going to Hogwarts, too?" She wanted to know at least one person before she went to school.

The boy looked over at her with startled eyes. "It's okay, don't be shy." His father smiled at him, then at Vita. "He's usually not like this. He's very talkative."

"Yes, I'm going to Hogwarts," the boy gave his father a sideways glance and rolled his eyes. "I'm Scorpius. Is this your first year?"

"Yes-"

"Me, too. I wonder what house I'll be put in."

"You just interrupted me, that's rude."

"Er ... Sorry?"

"And now I can't remember what it was that I was going to say. Hmph."

"Here are your robes, Miss." The portly witch spoke.

"Thank you," Vita looked back at the blonde boy. "See you at Hogwarts, Scorpius."

"And you, as well," he responded.

.o0o.

Next they walked into a large bookshop, called Flourish and Blott's. Vita couldn't keep her eyes away from the floor to ceiling shelves with every kind of book you could ever want. There were ones the size of postage stamps, ones that were flapping around in a cage and some as thick as the shelves themselves. Lots were written in strange symbols and some had no writing at all.

While Vita was looking around with her brothers, Longbottom located the required books. Vita was sad to leave the bookstore. But then they came to the Apothecary, where you could literally find anything. While Longbottom asked for a set of basic potion ingredients, Vita found a box of crocodile hearts (5 Galleons each) and cat hair (3 Sickles for a Jar).

After that they went to the wizarding equipment shop and bought a cauldron, scales, a telescope, crystal phials, dragon hide gloves, quills and lots of ink and parchment.

"Will I really need this much?" Vita asked Longbottom. He raised his eyebrows and nodded. This left Vita a bit fearful of the Hogwarts workload.

.o0o.

On the drive home, everyone was chatting amiably except for Vita. Her mind was off in its own secret world; she was lost in a labyrinth of her own creation. Strange creatures came up to her with curious looks and befriended her. Soon they were the size of a small army who charged at the dark forms that flitted around the edges of Vita's vision. But the forms vanished before any of the them were moderately close to catching one. Vita turned to her new friends but was surprised to see snarling beasts had replaced what they once were.

"Vita." Damien waved his hand energetically in front of her face. She was glad Damien's hand had snapped her out of the daydream as Vita had no idea what might've happened from there.

The family said their farewells to Professor Longbottom and clambered inside, carrying strangely shaped packages all around. Vita's father carried the heavy cauldron. Once the packages had been deposited into Vita's bedroom, her mum reheated a casserole and dinner was served.

Late that night, Vita got out one of her new spellbooks and started to read.


	4. Platform Nine and Three Quarters

**Disclaimer: Ich besitze nichts, die folgt ... leider.**

Platform 9 3/4

The last two weeks of break passed along grudgingly, as generally happens when one is excitedly waiting for something. On August 31st, the dinner table at the Hamlinson residence was rather uncomfortably silent. Mrs. Hamlinson, in particular, was nudging her beans around her plate, but not eating any of them. Every now and then, she would open her mouth as if to say something, but snap it shut almost immediately.

After dinner, as Vita gathered her towel and pijamas for her shower, she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in," she said.

It was Jeffery. "You're going to write, right?" he looked a bit sheepish.

"Of course," Vita grinned at him, "I'll write so much the neighbors will think we've owls nesting in our attic."

"Owls?" an incredulous expression flitted across his face.

"Yeah, it's really cool. Witches and wizards use owls to carry their mail." Her face took on a tone of wonder.

Jeffery raised his eyebrow. "I'll believe it when I see it." Then he walked back to his room, smiling silently to himself.

After her shower, Vita french braided her wet, curly hair into two thick plaits. Her mum had taught her this, as it was one of the only ways to tame her hair. Vita was very grateful to her mother for this, as she had no idea what she would have done otherwise. She walked across the landing and into the small bathroom she shared with her brothers and brushed her teeth. After saying goodnight to her parents Vita climbed into her bed and settled down for a restless night.

.o0o.

The next morning, at ten thirty, the Hamlinson family stood in Kings Cross Station completely unaware of what to do. According to Vita's ticket, they were supposed to report to platform 9 3/4. There was no platform 9 3/4. The family decided to sit down for a moment and about five minutes later, a welcome sight wandered across Vita's line of vision. The blonde boy she had met in the robe shop was walking with his parents toward platform 9.

For a moment, Vita couldn't remember his name, "Scorpius!" she shouted after a moment's hesitation.

He turned his head and said something to his father. Then they started walking toward Vita's family.

"Vita, what was that?" asked Damien.

"It's the boy who was at the robe shop with us. He'll know how to get on the platform."

"Yeah, he probably would."

Right then Scorpius and his family reached them.

"Hello," he said.

"Do you know how to get on the platform?" Vita asked hopefully.

"Of course, follow us."

Vita picked up her cat carrier and the twins grabbed her trunk. Her parents walked up with Scorpius' mum and dad.

"So, where is the platform?" asked Vita's father.

"No one really knows, but you reach it by walking straight through the divider between platforms nine and ten," responded the tall, thin, auburn haired woman who Vita assumed was Scorpius' mum. "I'll demonstrate. the important part is not to freak out. I pretended that the wall was a bolt of fabric when I was younger." She said as they reached the barrier.

Vita watched closely as she demonstrated. One moment she was walking toward a solid wall and the next, she wasn't. The twins and Scorpius' father went next, then Vita's parents. Now it was her turn. She walked toward the barrier chanting, "It's just cloth, it's just cloth," through her head. When she was a foot away from the barrier, she squeezed her eyes shut.

Vita was expecting to hit the barrier, but she just kept going. She opened her eyes and was in a completely different world. Strange sights and smells accosted her senses. Vita dodged aside as Scorpius ran through the divider between the muggle world and platform 9 3/4.

"Thanks," she called after Scorpius and his family. He turned his head and waved at her in response, smiling. A moment later, Vita located her parents and walked up to them.

"Well that was a bit strange," said Damien.

"Who'd have thought you'd have to walk through solid brick to get to Hogwarts?" responded Jeffery with equal, if not topped, enthusiastic confusion. Vita just shrugged at them, she hadn't known about the wall either.

After people watching for a few minutes, Vita said her farewells to her family. After Damien and Jeffery helped haul her heavy trunk up into the train, she stuck her head out the train window.

"I promise I'll write twice a week, maybe more!" she called to her family with a wink to Jeffery. Pulling her head back inside, Vita grabbed one end of her trunk and started dragging it down the aisle way. Most of the compartments were chock full of people, but eventually, Vita came to one with a girl, who looked about her age, curled up in a corner, reading. Vita tapped on the glass and opened the door a few inches.

"D'you mind if I sit here? The train's packed." she asked hopefully.

"Oh, not at all, come on in," said the girl. Vita stuffed her trunk under her seat and set Nala's carrier down next to her. A squeal of excitement escaped the lips of the girl who sat across from her. She sat down her book. "Can I hold your cat?"

"Of course," Vita took Nala out and set her in the girls arms.

"By the way, I'm Alana. Just in case you were wondering who the random girl is who's holding your cat," she laughed, seemingly for no reason.

"I'm Vita, is this your first year. It's mine."

"No, I'm a second year, sorry." Alana made an apologetic face. "Do you have any idea what house you'll be in?"

"Not really, I'm a muggleborn."

"Yeah me, too. I had no idea what was going on when I first got here. The castle's, like, huge and some doors like to pretend that they're walls. The stairs move around, too. Don't worry when you get lost. It'll happen."

Vita grimaced, "Lovely."

.o0o.

Around lunchtime, an elderly witch knocked on their compartment door. "Anything from the trolley, m'dears?"

"Some cauldron cakes, two chocolate frogs, a box of Bertie's Evey Flavor Beans and a glass of water, please," Alana asked.

"Um, I'll have the same," said Vita, uncertain of what anything was, but hoping it was edible.

The witch gave them each a paper bag with their lunches, "That'll be five sickles each, m'dears."

After the witch left, Vita peeked wearily into her bag. Smiling, she reached for what looked like Jelly beans. "Bertie's Every Flavor Beans," she read the label aloud. "Do they really mean every flavor?"

"Yes," replied Alana, "You'll want to be careful with those. They're not Jelly Belly's, I mean, there are some normal ones. I've had cherry and bubble gum before, but then you suddenly start tasting pulled pork and dust and brussel sprouts. I swear, I had one that tasted like hairspray once."

Vita gave the box a funny, distrustful look as she reached in and grabbed a bright red bean. She popped it in her mouth and bit down. Vita grimaced, "Blood."

Alana popped a lime green bean into her mouth and immediately started gagging, "Eugh... horseraddish." She fanned her mouth. The two girls continued trying variously colored. Their raucous laughter gathered some strange looks from passersby. "So, where are you from?" asked Alana.

"Berkshire-"

"No way, me too! I live in Reading."

"I'm from Maidenhead."

"Though even if you were from as far as Northumberland, I wouldn't've been surprised. We get people from all over at Hogwarts."

"What house are you in?"

"I'm a Ravenclaw."

"What's it like?" Vita was genuinely curious.

"Well, our tower overlooks the lake and the mountains, so we have a great view from the floor to ceiling windows. The common room has two levels, one for studying and the other for hanging out. The dorms have about five beds set in the tower walls with a bookcase and a desk for each. It's really nice."

"I just hope I'm not in Slytherin. I hear they don't take kindly to muggleborns."

"They've gotten a whole lot better over the years, but I have a feeling that they wouldn't want one in their midst."

The two girls chatted amicably as the landscape rushed past the train windows. The further north they traveled, the cooler it became. Eventually, an older girl with a friendly fave came in and told them that in about fifteen minutes the train would arrive in Hogsmeade.

"What on Earth is Hogsmeade?" Vita was perplexed.

"It's just the wizard village outside of Hogwarts. Ooh, I'd forgotten, you'll be going in on the boats." Alana glanced outside, where it was beginning to mist, "Have fun with that." At that last note, she began to rummage through her trunk for a robe.

Vita took this cue and, as she pulled the robe over her head, it finally sunk in. She wouldn't ever go back to Maidenhead Primary School. No more would those evil little runts invite her to their horrible little parties, where they were the queens and everyone else were their servants. No more would she be poked and teased and utterly excluded from her group of spoiled, so-called friends. Vita was going to Hogwarts, and as this realization hit her full on, she grinned out the window at the beginning of a storm.


End file.
